Magic

A woman last night told me that ‘magic happens.’ This was delivered in such a matter of fact tone it really got me laughing, "Lady, no cabbie’s going to believe that. We’re the most cynical people in town." "Doesn’t matter," she replied. "You must believe in it for it to work. Magic happens to me all the time."

She didn’t present as a hippy or a new-ager, or even ‘a nutcase’, as she put it. Rather she was a middle-aged, beautifully dressed woman from exclusive Hunters Hill. I suggested she was a fan of the latest self-help hit, The Secret. "Not at all," she replied, "and neither do I have a Magic Happens bumper sticker." Fair enough, I thought.

"How about this ?" I offered. "After I drop you off, there’s bugger-all chance that I’ll get a return job to the City. Even if I did, I wouldn’t consider it 'magic', just sheer luck." This gave her the chance to chide me, "With that negative attitude you definitely won’t get a return fare." So I challenged her to provide an example of her own brand of magic.

Without hesitation she related, "Last week I made a decision to finally clear out my domestic clutter. Stuff I hadn’t used for years, mainly clothes. Sure, it hurt to let go of some favourite pieces but it felt really good sending them off to charity. The very next night my husband took me to dinner for my fiftieth birthday, and said, ‘Darling, I know you've always dreamed of going to Italy, so, I’m taking you there for a holiday.’ I put that down to related positivity, what I call ‘magic’."

Her account bore an spooky resemblance to an old friend’s experience. It was uncanny and I was intrigued enough to wonder if there was something special about our encounter, something beyond coincidence.

"Maybe you can explain something for me," I requested. "I’m owed a substantial sum of money. After ten years of assuming the debt would be honoured, one day, I now accept that that will most likely never happen." But Ms Positivity begged to differ.

"Well, once again, if you take that attitude, then you won’t be repaid. Only by telling yourself that you’ve already been repaid, will you get your money back." Huh ? "Visualise it," she said. "Write it down; ‘MY LOAN HAS ALREADY BEEN REPAID’, then place it in a prominent position at home to remind yourself every day, it can happen."

What the hell I thought; if magic works for her, then maybe some will rub off on me. Whilst she was paying the fare I promised to give it a try, then returned to the City with renewed positivity. Even though, of course, I never scored a return fare. Possibly, then, magic is a form of Lotto--you’ve gotta be in it to win it--yet hopefully with better odds.

Comments

[Blandwagon]

Wow! Who would have thought that a wealthy woman from Hunter's Hill might get taken on an overseas holiday by her husband? That almost never happens!

Women who are so insulated by money that they can afford to be total flakes = one of my pet hates.

[Miles]

Hahaha, painful. Why do people believe in anything other than reality?

[Roy]

sounds like she's read "the secret" to me, and the only reason it didn't work for you, is because you "didn't believe", it's a load of bull if you ask me

[Link]

Whenever I see a "Magic Happens' bumper sticker--I immediately think 'and so does shit'. Still I'm a firm believer in the adage be careful what you 'wish' because mostly in my life it has eventuated, its not the answer so much as the question that needs careful thought.

[poor cabbie]

hunters hill =person with lots of money,people who say money don't make you happy have never been broke,magic will have happened if i win the 25 million oz lotto tonight.

[Jon]

Why do folks, particularly here in the States, have exactly the same problem? Why does everything have to be deterministic, or fate, or cause-and-effect? Sometimes things happen. Normal, right-thinking folk call it LUCK!

[Anthony]

Adrian, is this a good time to ask you for a substantial loan? Remember, you've already been repaid.

[Miles]

"Why does everything have to be deterministic, or fate, or cause-and-effect?"

Not sure why you're asking this, because it seems at odds with the rest of your post... but it's because that's the way the world works?

You're stuck predicting things with probabilities on a quantum level, but on a macro level you've got cause and effect. There's no way around it.

And much as we like to think otherwise, we can't alter things just by thinking about it...

[pat]

Most of this "positive thinking" stuff like Tony Roberts and "The Secret" are actually derived (or ripped off) from a book by Maxwell Maltz written in the '60s called "Psycho-Cybernetics".

I started reading this about three weeks ago and have so far found $4.10 on the ground. Not quite the wealth I was hoping for but a start never the less :-) Then again I do walk with a bit of a stoop so my chances are naturally increased of finding lost change. That's one positive for us hunch-backs!

Seriously though, Maltz's book is excellent and has a scientific (cybernetics is a real scientific discipline) and sound psychological basis. I recommend it. I recommend it.

Re. the "magic" principle espoused, that is nonsense. To sum up "positive thinking" in a phrase would be "If you think you can or think you can't - you are right." That makes common sense which can be a breakthrough once you realise the ramifications but it doesn't imply "magic happens". There is nothing supernatural here but simply changing how one imagines oneself and the rest will follow accordingly.

[pat]

Wow, just realised I recommended the book twice inadvertently, yet, I really would doubly recommend it. Magic does happen!

[dc]

Its happened to me magic that it

[adrian]

Anthony, no worries, mate. I've just inherited a massive fortune from a long lost uncle in Ireland. However the bucks are tied up in a Swiss bank account and I need $30K for legal fees to access the loot. If you make a contribution I'll be only too happy to oblige. It's easy - just imagine you've already got the loan !

[Mark]

Best book I've read in a long time -- Fooled By Randomness. Short version: successful people think they're special / clever, but most of the time it's luck and the numbers.

Consider: if 1,000 people play the stock market, some of them are going to win. A few will win big, and even fewer will win big consistently. That's not talent, it's statistics. But they strut around as if they know 'the secret' (haven't read that yet, doesn't sound like I want to).